Dear editor,

I believe that Courtenay, Comox, and the CVRD should co-ordinate to offer a combined recreational facility pass to their fitness centres, pools, and skating rinks. These facilities exist to encourage healthy lifestyles amongst the residents of the Comox Valley and they are not being fully utilized because of the existing fee structure.

The CVRD offers fitness facilities at the Aquatic Centre and the Sports Centre, however they are inferior to the fitness centres offered by Comox and Courtenay.

Currently, the cost of an annual adult pass at the Lewis Centre or the Comox Community Centre is $370. The cost of an annual adult pass to use the CVRD pools and rinks is $472. Purchasing an annual pass to one of the fitness centres and to the CVRD facilities would cost $842.

In comparison, the cost for an annual adult pass to access 14 recreation centres in Greater Victoria is $486.

A combined pass for the Comox Valley would result in more people purchasing an annual pass and more people participating in a range of healthy activities. It is time for Comox, Courtenay, and the CVRD to demonstrate that they can work together - they only need to come up with a formula to divide up the total revenue fairly.

Tom Wilson

Courtenay